Sara's Story
by Sara36913
Summary: This story follows the guideline to the contents of "Teen Titans - New Member". Following up on the... Unique, relationship between Sara Andrews and Max Griffon, you will get a better understanding of how and why the two act the way they do. How will you react when you see the past of Max and Sara? (DIRECT REFERENCES TO "TT - Additional Member")
1. Chapter 1

"Cool!"

This. Is Max. My eight-year-old best friend.

"Twenty bucks!"

He generally has good luck.

"Awesome…"

This is me.

"Eep!"

"Careful!"

I generally had bad luck.

Max sighed in relief, "Got ya…"

Lucky for me, Max was always on my left side. Without him, I probably would have died when I was five.

"You've gotta be more careful," he scolded me, relieved I was ok.

"I know, I know," I reassured him. "But I'm fine. See?" When I spun in a circle -

"Ah!"

My powers malfunctioned, and I froze myself in a solid block of ice.

"Raugh!"

Max got me out A.S.A.P. when he punched the block. It split in two, and I shivered when it fell to the ground and shattered.

"Cold, cold, cold, cold!"

Max heaved a sigh and said, "Come here."

With his arms spread out wide I saw faint orange specks surrounding his light brown eyes - which meant he was heating his body temperature for me. I ran to his embrace and he hugged me tightly. We stood there for a minute before I felt his heart rate speed up.

I went to look up at him, but he growled lowly to me. "Don't move…"

My arms flinched and I hugged him tighter. Pretty quickly, I heard loud grunts, grumbles, and moans of pain come from behind me - but I didn't dare to look. After they all stopped, Max's grip on me started to loosen and I could finally meet his gaze. He smiled at me reassuringly and said, "Let's go through the woods today…"

I didn't know why he offered, but I slowly nodded my head and stared at his back as he walked ahead of me, his hand interlaced with mine.

At the time, I didn't even know there were countless human bodies unconscious and injured behind me.

* * *

Three years have passed since then, and Max has saved me countless amounts of times. I started questioning why he stayed by my side.

So one day, after we got home from school, we were sitting on the couch. I was upside down with his head rested on my stomach. I said to him, "Max…?"

"Yeah?" he mumbled sleepily. I had woken him from his afternoon nap.

I asked curiously, "How come you're always with me?"

"…?"

It seemed I got his attention, because he started to sit up straight. He had enough energy to look at me with a face that combined unreason and sternness. His voice was huskier when he asked me, "What are you talking about?"

I flipped myself over so I could lock eyes with him properly. "I mean, you're always bailing me out of trouble, and I think your luck'll run dry sooner than later."

He smiled softly at me. "My luck's not going to run out…" After that, he cleared his throat and plopped his head into my lap again. "This'll just recharge my luck if I ever do run out," he stated reassuringly.

"Are you sure?" I asked him worriedly.

"You worry too much." He smirked at me and said, "Whether you wanna or not, you're stuck with me." He closed his eyes and nuzzled the back of his head into my shorts. "'Til death."

I laughed a little and said, "Until I die, or you do?"

He opened one of his eyes and pouted, "Is that something I should be concerned about? Ah!" He gasped and sat upright. Pointing his finger at me he said, "You're planning to kill me in my sleep, aren't you?!"

I laughed full-heartedly and got up from the couch. Putting my hands behind my head as I walked to the kitchen, I told him, "Guess you'll just have to sleep to find out."

He shook his head, "No way! I'm not going to ever fall asleep before you - EVER!"

I laughed and said, "If that's what you're going with, then I guess I'll say ok."

One of Max's cheeks cringed upward and he said confused, "… Haaah?"

I smiled over my shoulder and said, "I'll die before you."

Max frowned and he looked down. He mumbled, "Don't go that far for me…"

I walked back over to him and tapped his head against mine. I grinned brightly and said, "Guess we'll just have to die together, then."

He lifted his head and met my cheeky gaze. "For someone talking about death, you sure are perky."

I laughed at his still-pouting face.

* * *

At the time, I never thought that beautiful snowflakes can be turned into unpleasant blizzards in a flash.


	2. Chapter 2

Another year after that happy memory, something dreadful happened.

I was on my way home from school and walked through the door to my house.

"I'm hoooome!" I yelled happily.

I walked through the house and found it…

Surprisingly quiet…

Not even the radio was playing, which made me shudder. It was never this quiet at our house - not _my_ house.

I said questioningly, "Mom…? Dad…?"

When I walked to the kitchen, I saw them sitting down in their chairs. Dad was rubbing Mom's back and I heard her weeping softly. I asked him, "Wh… What's wrong…?"

My dad looked up at me and I saw that his eyes were full of sorrow.

"Sara," he said softly, in his deep voice.

It seemed even lower now, but I shook that feeling away. "What happened?" I asked him worriedly.

"…" After looking down at the table, it seemed as though he was debating with himself about something.

I asked him again, setting down my bag. "What's wrong?"

I didn't mean for my voice to come out that serious-sounding, but it dropped an octave all on its own.

And that's when I realized it.

Max didn't come to walk home with me.

When I thought about it, he didn't even come to school today.

 _ **Today…**_

It was Max's thirteenth birthday…

I ran over to them both and grabbed my dad's shoulders. "Where's Max?!" I asked him.

He bit his tongue and he turned his head away from me. My grip loosened when I followed his gaze. My eyes went wide with fear when I saw it.

The living room was in shambles.

The couch we had been sitting on not the day before was upside down, split in pieces. The TV was broken on the floor - its glass shards everywhere. The curtains that hung from the windows were torn. Then, my gaze faltered to the back door.

It was wide open.

" _No…"_

That was the only word I could repeat in my head as I ran for our hangout spot in the woods.

It didn't take long for me to find him - the trail of broken branches and scattered debris made it clear which way he was headed.

"Upstream…"

After my momentary stop, I ran even faster than I thought I could. There was only one reason for this.

That was where the stream stopped and the cliff started.

When I reached the cliff I was already panting and out of breath. The palms of my hands found my knees and I bent over, holding my navel tightly. My stomach felt like it was upside down. My throat was dry and tightened.

And soon, so was my heart when I saw Max.

He was hunched over and holding his arms tightly to his body. I saw the leaves and broken tree branches swirling around him.

It was like he was the eye of a destructive tornado.

I called out his name in hope of him hearing me.

And hear me he did.

I saw his back flinch when he heard my voice. Most of the trees that were flying around him came to a screeching halt and were ripped to shreds. The splinters of wood fell to the ground as he turned around quickly.

"Stay away!" he yelled.

When he turned to look at me, I noticed he had tears streaming down his cheeks.

"Max-"

" **STAY BACK!** " He flung his arms out at me and I flew backwards. My back slammed into a tree and its branches soon restrained me.

He flinched at the sudden surge of power. The shards of wood levitated and circled around him again as he held his head.

"Max!" I yelled.

He tried to tune me out. " **Don't come near me!** "

I saw his eyes change to a bright golden I'd never seen before. If it weren't for the current situation, I would have told him they were beautiful.

"Don't do it Max!"

I'm not sure when, but tears had started pooling in my eyes and were now beginning to fall.

He moved his hands that clenched his aching head to his sides, wrapping himself in his embrace. "I can't stop it…" he sobbed. "It's too strong!"

He looked up at me and I've seen something I've never seen before. Not even when his parents died.

Max, was _truly_ broken.

He had bags under his bloodshot eyes, which meant he was probably crying all day. There was blood under his fingernails - and that's when I noticed his chest.

His shirt was torn and shredded. Blood had dried from wherever lines of red scratches were.

He had been trying to _force_ himself to stop.

I saw him start to back up, fearing himself and the power he had.

The power _he couldn't control._

I yelled his name as loud as I could when I saw how close he was to the cliff.

"MAX!" I screeched.

My screams couldn't reach him in time.

He was too busy slipping off the cliff.

* * *

It was within those three seconds did I discover I could move the earth.


	3. Chapter 3

I wept quietly when I saw his head disappear behind the edge, praying for his safety. The branches that held me viciously had already subsided and dropped to the forest floor. I fell to my knees and hunched my back overtop of my body. I cried into my hands at Max's sudden depart.

To my surprise, when I heard a strange noise and looked up from my tear-covered lap, I saw Max, lying down on a platform of rock that had just landed infront of me.

He lay on it peacefully, his eyes closed. Tears continued to fall from my eyes as I approached him slowly.

"Ma…x…?" I choked on a sob and reached for his hand.

His eyes shot open and he had a coughing fit, which forced him upright.

I hugged him tightly and whimpered, "You're ok!"

This time, as I cried, they were tears of joy.

Which soon faded, replaced by mortal terror.

Max's eyes were now bright blue. The natural brown color was gone. His hands shook with fear, which soon spread throughout his body. His skin turned a flushed red color, which could only mean his blood was boiling deep within him.

"Max?"

I reached out to touch his shoulder and was quickly slapped by my best friend.

"Don't touch me!" he cried out. It came out as a loud growl.

I didn't attempt to touch him again. Instead, I asked quietly, "What's wrong…?"

When he looked back at me, his eyes were a deep purple. "I hate it when you touch me - **I HATE IT**!"

I was taken aback at his sudden change of heart and tears started forming in my eyes once more. "You… You what…?"

He turned his back to me and his hands clenched into fists on the rock. He yelled to no one in particular, "Why are you doing this to me!?"

I reached out to touch him once again, despite my previous scolding. "What's-"

"I said," Max's eyes shot open and revealed the same golden color I saw - right before I got slammed and tied to a tree. He yelled at me in a growl, " **DON'T TOUCH ME!** "

As if by his command, tree limbs shot out from behind me and retrained my arms. No matter how hard I thrashed around I couldn't break free.

"Max!" I screamed.

For a split second, I saw true terror in his eyes - right before it was replaced by fury and remorse. He ran through the woods, his back blending into the surroundings as he did so. I screamed at the tip of my lungs, but we were so far into the forest, no one would hear me for miles.

 _Not once_ did Max look back at me.

And for a full two years, _not once,_ did he return to my side.


	4. Chapter 4

The next two years of my life were spent in sorrow and guilt. I blamed myself for Max's leaving. I had failed as his best friend to see what was wrong.

If _I_ couldn't see it, who else could have?

My cheerful, eager, brightly shining eyes were gone - along with Max. They were both replaced with dull, lifeless orbs, and even more sorrowful stares and comments.

I got into a lot of fights in school after that. Most started because the topic revolved around Max. Whenever a kid was stronger and I got beat, I only thought of it a punishment for not being able to save my best friend - who had always, **always** , saved me.

I managed to drag myself to the roof of my house; My safe haven - even before Max had left.

My parents didn't even bother to stop me - they stopped trying to comfort me well into the fourth month since he disappeared.

When I plopped down onto my usual spot, night had fallen, and the stars shined brightly. Somewhere deep in my heart I knew most of those stars had already died out, and that it was just the remaining light millions of miles away.

Yet they continued to shine brightly.

I put my head in my lap. I chuckled at my own stupidity and mumbled to myself, "If he died, I'm sure Max would still shine brightly…"

"… For someone talking about death…"

I picked my head up when I heard that voice.

 _ **His**_ voice.

"You sure seem happy," he finished, partially smiling.

I thought he wouldn't be there when I turned around, so I didn't dare to.

But, wanting to see him again overpowered my fear of being hurt, and I turned around anyways.

The last time I saw him, he was exactly thirteen - clad in a torn apart blue Avengers t-shirt and loose, faded gray jeans.

Now, he wore a leather jacket, along with a white v-neck undershirt. The black gloves he had on cut off at his knuckles and matched his lace-up boots. His once brown eyes sparkled blue - almost as if they were crystals. I remember he had freckles on his arms and legs before when we were kids, but now they were distinctly resting on his face, along with the patches of skin you could see through his ripped, jet black jeans.

He looked completely different.

Not to say I didn't.

Over the past two years, my skin had faded paler than it was when I was younger. My hair had faded to a dirty blonde, and the life had drained from my eyes a long time ago. I changed my look since he'd been gone. My normal pastel clothing had changed to darker colors - mainly dark blues, blacks, or murky reds.

He looked at me with his eyebrows turned upward and his usual soft smirk on his face. "Did you not take care of yourself these past few years?"

Tears pooled in my eyes and my face scrunched itself. It wasn't until they started falling did I smile.

He was right infront of me.

He sighed as if he was troubled and said, "I guess that's why you keep me around."

His eyes turned peachy and he spread his arms out wide, a soft smile forming on his face.

"Come here, stupid," he told me.

I smiled brightly and threw my arms around him, hugging him with all my might - afraid he would leave again if I didn't.

"I'm so happy you're here…!" I said, squeezing him again.

He said, out of oxygen, "I won't be here for long if you kill me!"

I laughed and loosened my grip on him, pulling my head from his chest as I did so.

"Woo." Once I let go he sighed of relief and put a hand to his chest. "Sweet air," he smiled.

I shoved his shoulder.

Then. A thought came to my mind.

"Max," I asked him, "What about your-"

"Way ahead 'a ya."

He smirked and tilted his chin behind me. I turned around, confused, then I saw what he was talking about.

The tree that grew on the side of my house had stretched a branch out to me, holding out a leaf which substituted for a hand. When I shook it, it wiggled and all the leaves on its branch fell off. Just as I started to laugh, all of the fallen leaves swirled up from the ground with a wave of Max's hand. When they reached me, they dispersed in a bunch of different directions.

I stared at the leaves that fell like sparkles. "Wow…" I said in awe.

Max smiled, "Yeah. It took a while to master big tricks like that."

I looked over at him, who was staring up at the leaves. His gaze soon fell to mine, and I asked him lowly, "What about all the other ones…?"

As if it sounded like a challenge to him, he smirked in acceptance. His eyes flashed green and he blended into the night sky. When I looked around for him, he appeared again on my left side. Just before I spoke, he made his pupils turn a light purple and he hugged me tightly, draining the air from my lungs.

From past experience, purple was when he tapped into his strength, but it was usually _dark_ purple. I figured he was resisting using brutal force on me, which only proved he could have easily crushed me if he wanted to. Once he let go, his eyes changed to a light peach color, and he tapped his finger to my cheek. I shivered when I felt how cold he was.

They started mixing from a light to a fuller orange, and he put the palm of his hand against my face. His touch mingled with my body heat and soon matched it.

He smiled softly at me and asked, "Trust me now?"

I smiled back in response, which was taken as a yes, and he moved his hand away from my cheek. His eyes now returned to the normal blue color, and he smiled nostalgically as he told me, "I spent a full year learning to control my power…"

He turned his head to me and smiled softly. "I think it was worth the wait…"

Before I could get swept away in his sweet smile, I noticed something in his previous words that caught my attention.

"Wait… A full, year?" I asked. "Max, you've been gone two!"

"I know," he mumbled quietly.

"What the hell have you been doing all this time?!" I pressed for answers and forgot to make my anger subtle.

He stared back at me with cold eyes. "Why do _you_ care?" he asked.

I was taken aback by his question and answered - even though I felt like a vampire with a stake in its heart.

"I've always cared…"

It came out colder than I expected, but I didn't frankly care enough to break my stern gaze from him.

He sighed. "I'm sorry," he started, "I've just been a little on edge lately."

I crawled over to him and rested my head on his shoulder, closing my eyes. "Well, I guess it doesn't matter anymore," I told him, "I'm just glad you're back in the village."

"…"

As if picking up on where this was headed, he pulled away from me and held my shoulder.

With an exasperated look he told me, "Sara…" He chuckled dryly, "I can't _stay_ …"

"…" My previous smile fizzled out when I heard him say this. "Why not?" I asked him.

His face did the same and he replaced his smile with a slightly scared one. "Sara, if he knew you were close to me, he'd kill you-"

I cut him off, "Who?"

"…" He stared at me for a while after I heard him gulp. He said, "He'd kill _me_ if I told you…"

He shook his head and curled his knees towards himself. "I won't let that happen to you…" he said lowly, with pain spreading across his face.

I didn't see his expression very well in the moonlight, so I told him stubbornly, "I don't need you to fight my battles, I can fight them myself."

Hurt crossed his face and his brows scrunched together. He said to me, "I'm not some weak little shrimp that can't protect you-"

"And I'm not some naïve princess who needs protecting!" I argued.

"I _need_ to protect you…" He looked like he was going to regret whatever came out of his mouth next. And even with that in mind, he continued speaking. He said, lower, "You're bad luck. Remember?"

"…"

I felt like I wanted to cry, but no tears showed any signs of forming in my eyes. Instead, I felt a pain in my chest as I saw him get up to leave.

He sighed angrily and mumbled over his shoulder, "See you around."

"W-Wait!"

Before I could even register what I was doing, I had already reached out my hand and pulled on his shirt.

"What?" he asked.

"Stay with me…"

"Sara, if he tracked me-"

"Please!"

"…"

"Please," I said softer. "Just for tonight… I need to know that you're here - right now…" I looked up at him with pleading eyes and said, "I need to know you're tangible…"

After staring at me for a while, he said in a deep, husky voice I had never heard before, _"You_ never were…"

My head shot up at him and he was looking down at me. He sighed again and grabbed my arm. "Get up," he said annoyed.

He complained once I got to my feet. "God, I can't believe I'm still weak to your tears."

It wasn't quite clear when, but I had managed to release the built up sadness that I had kept in for these past two years by myself. They all poured out of me that night.

Before we got off the roof, he told me, "It'd be troublesome if your folks saw me." He turned to me and asked, a little sweeter than his previous tone, "Mind if I sleep in your room?"

Once I nodded my head slowly, we made our way off of the roof and I opened the window to my room, letting Max crawl through the small opening. He crawled into my bed with me and I curled into his chest unconsciously, and hoped with all my might that I could feel this warmth again someday.

He left in the morning, and I didn't see him for another half of a year.


	5. Chapter 5

I couldn't believe my eyes. There was no mistaking that the man infront of me was Max - not even a freckle was out of place. There was _one_ thing different though.

He was committing a felony.

I was going to the market to buy my weeks worth of food like I did every week since he left that night - and that's when I saw it.

He was reeking havoc on the people downtown.

Everyone was fleeing their stores as he turned them inside out - completely crushing some. Luckily, no one got hurt when he turned the ice cream shop into a milk house.

"Aw…"

He complained at that one.

I dropped all of my groceries in shock and made my way through the crowds outside to see him sitting on top of a car, waving his hands as fire hydrants caved in on themselves and soaked nearby pedestrians.

"Heh…"

He laughed cheerfully.

A woman who was standing next to me said to herself upon recognizing Max, "Ah! That's the Black Bandit!"

"Black Bandit?" I asked.

"Yeah," she turned to tell me about it, "The three cities down from here were already conquered by him and his master. Word on the street is, they surrendered the city to them, since he proved he could've easily crushed them otherwise."

Some of the other people around us had started whispering amongst themselves when they heard her say his name.

"It's The Black Bandit!"

"He's _here?!"_

"That's him alright!"

Max heaved a heavy sigh, grabbing everyone's attention. He asked everyone in general, "Now, why would everyone call me that when I haven't stolen anything?" He looked to the crowd and whined, "At least think of a cool name." His eyes lit up and he jumped to his feet. "Ooh, like Skull Smasher, or Fusion Melt! Now _those,_ are cool villain names."

Most people were confused and didn't register him as a threat for a moment.

Until he acted upon one of his names.

He held up his hand and directed it towards the melted ice cream puddles and his golden eyes turned towards all of the people who held coffee cups or mugs. The lids popped off of them all and their mid-morning drinks were all drained from their containers. It all floated towards the ice cream puddles that were leftover from his attack on the parlor. The two liquids fused together and made their way towards Max. His bright yellow eyes now had streaks of a red-orange color and he outstretched his hand to his new creation. Once his palm made contact, the liquid visibly bubbled and boiled, heating up at his command.

He smirked evilly and turned towards the crowd. The milky, java substance shot out, making a beeline for the crowd. All around, screams and hollers of pain echoed throughout the street - which was music to Max's ears. He laughed and the same substance continued to shoot out from all around him.

"Hey!"

"…"

His smile dropped and the boiling liquid froze in the air, each glob plopping onto the streets at their own pace. He slowly turned his head to the noise with a repulsive look across his face. He asked, disgusted with me, "What?"

I asked him seriously, "Why're you doing this?" He stared me down, but I ignored him. "Look around you," I said.

He surprisingly listened to me and he did a 360 degrees turn, staring at all the people who clenched their third-degree burns. His face changed to remorse, and he soon hung his head. "You're right…" he told me.

After a while, he lifted his head and the same evil grin was on his face once more. "They need to chill out."

I grew nervous and scared as he lifted the liquid to his palms, his eyes regaining their golden lust. Soon, they turned a faint peach and streaked the yellow tint. The liquid that surrounded him now froze into shards and pointed directly for the crowd. One shot out at them, aiming for a salesman with glasses. He flinched and just before it made contact with the bridge of his nose, it stopped midair.

"Huh?" Max looked at it questioningly. When he turned around, I stood behind him, arms stretched out infront of me.

"There's water in coffee." I looked at him and said, without a doubt angry, " **Stupid**."

He bared his teeth, bolting straight for me.

The bystanders gasped when he disappeared - soon revealing himself infront of me. When he threw his fist at me to land a punch, I barely dodged and caught it. When I kneed him in his stomach he fell to the ground with a _*_ _thud*._

He soon flared his clenched teeth as his eyes dyed green. I lost him instantly and looked around my surroundings for any traces of him. I couldn't find any before I was knocked on my feet. I flew backwards ten feet and crashed into a car windshield. I felt blood trickle down the back of my head, it soon clumping in my hair. I cringed at the pain, but quickly stood up shakily.

Max wasn't holding back.

"… _So, why should I?"_

That was the only thought that ran through my skull as I lit my hands on fire. He configured himself a few yards away from me and smirked sarcastically. "Aw, did I make you angry?" he taunted.

My teeth gritted together and the flames forming in my palms spread to my elbows with every growing ounce of fury. He smirked again in response and that's when I snapped. Not wasting a second I launched fireballs at him left and right - aiming for his head. One came close to him and flew in between the crook of his neck. Red and orange burned skin flared on his joint and the clothing on it was long gone. After he had shown me a wince, he turned his head back to me and his eyes lit a deep, dark, blood red. He looked at me evilly as his skin regained its natural color. The wind floated towards me as I watched his mouth move. By the time his words got to me, I was already flat on my back.

" _You shouldn't have done that sweetheart,"_ was what he had growled in a whisper.

I struggled in his grasp as he held my collar tightly, raising his hand up to punch me. When a dark violet tint filled his pupils I knew he was going to kill me. He was putting all of his strength into his balled up fist.

At this range, he wouldn't miss.

I had closed my eyes peacefully in anticipation of my impending doom. His hand that clenched my shirt hand loosened dramatically and I opened my eyes in confusion.

When I saw what was infront of me I grew both flabbergasted and confused.

As I got up I saw the veins that crawled up his neck were resonating an iridescent blue - which visibly stood out on his peach skin. His once-purple eyes were now an electric blue, illuminating the white region that surrounded it. His incisors were prodding from his lips, forming two pairs of distinct fangs on his upper jaw - and one in the lower half of his mouth. He flung himself off of me and held his hands to his throat. You could see the blood flow through him when his heart pumped it to his brain. I saw his fingers' - that wrapped around his throat - veins tightly straddle his bones, making his fingernails grow outwards. They formed claws that stretched outward, and though they weren't very long, they were still noticeable to me. I went to reach out to him but he avoided me and ran away.

" **Max!** "

Just before I could run after him, I was surrounded by the townspeople of the city. What I could assume to be the mayor had worked his way over to me and thanked me for stopping my friend.

He asked me, "Would you by any chance be interested in protecting our city from The Black Bandit, along with other criminals?"

I was thrown for a loop when he asked me to protect the people of Trimph. I asked, still a little fuzzy with the details, "You, mean… Be like Batman; For the entire place…?"

He smiled brightly and asked, "So you're on board?"

Looking around at all the citizens, a faint smile worked its way onto my lips. I shrugged and said - a hint of happiness in my voice, "Sure; why not?"

The people all around clapped and cheered as the mayor shook my hand and said, "We'll call you if there's trouble."

For the next two months, I fought crime throughout Trimph.

* * *

After that day, I didn't see Max unless he was destroying something, or causing mischief on his own whims.

Until one fateful day…


	6. Chapter 6

I was making my rounds when I heard heavy panting.

I knew those out-of-breath heaves from anywhere.

Max was barreling towards the city.

"…!"

And he wasn't alone.

From past experiences, whenever Max got himself into trouble - which was rare - he would search for higher ground.

So, I did the same.

I climbed the fire escaped on a nearby apartment building, hoping to find my ex-friend.

I spotted him jumping from building top to building top, about three away from me.

In a rough three more leaps he would see me.

"Gah!"

"Ooff!"

… Or, so I assumed.

He barrelled into me, knocking me over and depriving my lungs of precious air. I struggled underneath him and he propped himself up with him elbows. His eyes were shut; He was taking in the impact of our skeletons colliding. When he opened them, and felt his body interlaced with mine, his face flushed and he jumped up.

"S.. Sara…!?"

I got up and brushed myself off, staring at him weirdly. "No no, I'm fine," I said sarcastically.

His eyes went wide and he started to push me back. "You've got to get out of here," he pleaded.

"Why?" I asked.

"He can't find you with me-"

"Too late…"

I heard a deep voice echo from behind Max and I lightly pushed his frame aside.

A tall, slim… Unique, man dressed in black stood behind him. He was slowly walking over to us from his place across the rooftop. When he walked, I noticed his feet were quite large compared to most men. His black trenchcoat fell to his knees - which were exposed from the ripped dark jeans he wore, which were falling apart. His eyes swirled different colors - but for the most part were a deep pink which contrasted noticeably with the white streaks that roamed his eyes. But what really caught my attention was his skin.

 _That,_ was a whole other story.

His skin was ashy - almost a faded gray/blue. This only made his eyes stand out more. His hair was a fiery red, and he had claws that were supposed to be where his fingernails were. They stood a fair two inches from his skin, and when he kept creeping closer, my eyes grew wide when I saw he had patches of scales of his ash colored skin. His body was well defined; his jawline sharp. It scared me when I noticed he was now a mere three yards from me. I heard Max next to me choke down his anger and fear that was there before.

When I glanced over at him - _that_ was when I noticed it.

Max's hands that were by his side shook slightly. Its shaky figurement hypocrites the veins that revealed themselves from his neck, and the pair of fangs that prodded from his upper jaw.

When I had looked back at the mysterious man, I heard Max choke on a growl.

He was three feet away.

I lit my hands as quickly as I could and launched my fireballs at him.

To my utter disappointment, he held his hand up to his face and intercepted it.

"…!?"

Bare handed.

He turned the fireball back to me and blew on it. It hurdled for me at a blinding speed, barely giving me enough time to move my head and avoid it. This time, when I turned back, he was gone.

My fear had only boiled more and I grew restless. Max put me in his arms tightly and held my head with his hand. Cradling it gently, he held me against his chest - just as he did at _that_ time.

I couldn't see when his eyes turned a bright green as he scanned his surroundings.

All of a sudden the warmth that had held me not seconds before was ripped away from me. When I opened my fearful eyes, I watched him go to the ground - flat on his back.

A hand had tugged on my chin and forced me to look at the beast infront of me. His pink eyes glared daggers at me and he tilted my head. I tried to break free from him, but to no avail.

He laughed sarcastically to himself. "So this is what you chose, huh Max?"

Max had worked his way to his knees, holding his stomach in pain. He lifted his head at those words and clenched his teeth angrily.

The man laughed again and I questioned him. "Who are you…?" Though I hadn't meant to, I accidently let fear slip into my voice and I took it he noticed, because he smirked and looked over at Max.

"Why don't you ask my student?"

He allowed me enough room to move my head towards Max. "Student…?" I knew he wasn't lying when I saw Max's eyes fill with an emotion I'd never seen before.

Regret.

He grinned evilly and held up his hand to Max. I noticed his hand glow a blinding white and I heard Max holler in pain. When my head found his aching body, I saw his sandy skin fade and flicker to a pure red. He had closed his eyes long ago and threw his head back in agony. His incisors grew and two more pairs of fangs emerged from his mouth forcibly. I saw his fingers shake with fury as the veins separated from the bone and pop from his flickering skin. Dry scales worked their way to his cheeks and forehead, losing his freckles instantly. My eyes grew with both fear and anger and I had managed to break free from the sketchy man's grasp, running to Max's side in aid.

" **MAX!** "

When all was over, his skin remained a burnt red, his teeth sharpened, and his freckles that I loved so much - gone forever. The only thing that hadn't changed was his hair - as when he opened his eyes I found out they had converted from a calm ocean aquamarine to an icy neon blue.

He held a hand to his chest and panted heavily.

The man had walked over to him and said to him, "I guess you'll maintain your complexion in time."

I stared at him in horror and screamed, "What did you do!?"

"Take a good look at him," the man growled. "This'll be him in five years."

I looked back at Max, who was crumpled in pain. His eyes that stared back at me were bright and swirling with pain. I looked back to the mysterious man behind me and asked him, "How do I stop it?"

The man smirked and said, "Nudo il suo bambino prima che ha vent'anni, altrimenti sarà simile a questa per sempre."

I didn't understand what he had said, because it seemed to be Italian. Though when I looked at Max, he seemed to understand perfectly. His eyes went wide and his teeth clenched nervously. Goosebumps ran up his spine and his body chilled.

Whatever that man had said left an impact on him.

I turned to him and said angrily, "English, please?"

He smirked, clearly amused by my response.

He turned on his heals and said, walking towards Max again, "Ask Prince Charming." When I felt fury bubble inside of me, I failed to notice he said something to Max before he left. His hand fell to his shoulder. Max's skin transfigured to its sandy color again, his teeth dulling. When his eyes turned their calming aquamarine blue again, the man told him lowly, "Sarebbe nel vostro interesse se lei ti ama indietro."

Max's shoulders tensed and a pleasant chill ran through his body, subsiding the pain that rested in his chest and veins. The refreshing feel of having your blood cool instead of boil was very enjoyable to him - though he didn't get carried away, because the words this man said still resonated through him.

The mysterious figure went to walk away from both of us and I called out to his back, "Hey!" When he stopped and turned around to meet my gaze, I asked him, "Who are you?"

He smiled a wicked grin and said, "An old friend of a wise devil."

I looked back at Max, who was on his knees - his previous image restored. When I looked up again to question the man, he was gone. He had disappeared into the wind but frankly - I hadn't cared. I ran to Max and put a hand on his back reassuringly. I tried talking to him by lowering my head to his, which stared at the ground.

I noticed his eyes had glazed over, filling themselves with fear. I grew more nervous. "Max…?" I asked, truly scared for him.

"me…" He mumbled something that I didn't catch.

"What?"

As I got closer to him he yelled, throwing his head up at me, "Do you love me?!"

"…"

He had taken my stunned silence as a 'no' and snarled at me once more. "Get out…" he growled lowly.

I tried to protest. "But-"

"I said _**get out!**_ " He yelled at me and I was taken aback once more. "Get out of my life-! I never want to see you again!" He clenched his fists so hard they started to turn white. I held his hand gently, and to my surprise, he hadn't pulled back. His hand just flinched.

My hair fell to the side when I cocked my head at him. I said quietly, " _I_ want to see _you_ again…"

I knew what I told him had struck a nerve somewhere, because tears soon pooled in his eyes. My hand which didn't encircle his soon rested on his back once more. Not long after, his eyebrows knitted upwards together and he allowed the teardrops he had tried _so hard_ to keep in pour from his face. He hung his head and cried to himself, trying to be very quiet. I continued to rub his back until he coiled himself to my chest, weeping all the whilst.

It wasn't until later did I find out what his mentor had said to him that day.


	7. Chapter 7

Raven's words still echoed in my head from earlier that day.

" _It's the symbol for a Shinigami, Draneyeth Cain. He terrorized Toyama, killing all that stood in his way. He cursed his following descendants, making it so that every two hundred years, one belonging to his bloodline would be blessed with a curse."_

" _The next child born after his demise, two hundred years later, and every cyclical child after that, would suffer greatly. His two hundredth ancestor would be given immense power; but with immense power comes a price."_

" _If his successor doesn't create a child with another being before their twenty-first birthday, they lose the power that he gave them, and are trapped in a different, grotesque form; forever."_

" _Forever…?"_ I thought. " _How long is 'forever'?"_

I didn't want to think like this, but the thought just hit me.

" _Do Cain's ancestors live forever…?"_

As much as I hate being interrupted, I'm glad someone did. My thinking over Max wouldn't help him or me, so I was happy when a rock broke my window.

"…!?"

Ironic, isn't it?

Hurriedly I bolted out of my bed and grabbed the giant-ass rock that just shattered my window. I ran to the edge and readied my arm, preparing to launch it at the delinquent ruining Titan property. Though I stopped short when I saw someone _else_ on the ground below.

"What are you doing?!" I whisper/yelled out my now-broke window.

"Okay," a familiar voice sincerely said, "I didn't mean to throw it that hard - _I swear!"_

I rolled my eyes at Max's explanation.

"I had to make sure it got to _your_ room and not Robin's."

I sighed in annoyance. "Give me a minute," I said.

Walking back into my room, I slipped my boots onto my feet, grabbing my jacket off of the chair before diving back into trouble. Max is just lucky that all of the Titan's live on the same floor. Otherwise I'd have to fly past their room to reach the ground.

"Ow…!"

On my way out of the window, my arm caught on one of the shards sticking out of the boarding. I brushed off my arm and ducked my head, jumping from the window. I landed in front of my best friend/battle enemy and asked, a little frantically, "Again - and I quote - _what_ are you doing here, idiot?"

Max opened his mouth to talk to me, but he struggled for his words. I couldn't tell what he was trying to say, but I noticed in between his constant fidgeting, his eyes kept falling to my arm.

Not noticing that I saw him, he covered his eyes and asked, "When did you cut yourself?"

Blinking out of confusion, it took me a while before I answered. "Um, just now… On the _window_ that's now _broken."_

After giving a humorless chuckle, Max said "Sorry." He held up a finger and before I could question him, he got out a small knife out of his back pocket.

"What are you-?"

"Sorry," he said, tearing his sleeve. He put the knife back in his pocket and grabbed my arm. "The smell's distracting me."

Once more, I didn't get the chance to question him before he started wrapping the cloth over my bleeding bicep.

Once he was done, he scratched his nose and said, clearly proud of his work, "That's better."

At this point, I obviously wanted answers to a lot of questions, but knowing Max's personality, he'd be uncomfortable after the first one I ask him. So, I decided to ask the most important one.

"Why would you ruin your shirt, just to cover up a little scratch?"

I couldn't tell if he was going to smile, laugh, or blush - mainly because he couldn't decide himself what he was going to do.

Scratching his forehead, he apologized once more. "Sorry," he pointed to himself, "Heightened senses. And your… Scent…? It.. - It was bothering me."

I nodded slowly. "Still not sure on your reasoning, but ok. Now," I said, "Why are you _here?"_

"Oh, right, um."

"…"

"… Hm…" he stared blankly at the ground. "I don't. Recall…" He started squirming again and I could tell something was bothering him. But, once more, before I could ask, he explained himself. "I'm sorry - I can still smell you- Okay…!"

Now I was pretty convinced he was talking to himself rather than me.

"Ooh!" he said, snapping his fingers. "I need a place to stay!"

I blinked at him. I'm not exactly sure when, but my eyebrows knit together, too. Without answering Max, I turned my back to him and flew up, heading towards my room.

"Wait!" he cried out.

I entered through my window and was quickly followed by Max. "Listen," I started, my back to him, "My room isn't some inn that you can just stay in whenever you 'need a place to stay'."

"Sara," Max huffed, "Do you honestly think I'd stay here by _choice?_ This place is the headquarters of the people who want me in jail." He sighed angrily, "I wouldn't be here if I had somewhere else to go."

I turned towards him and laughed. "What about your 'master'? I'm sure he'd let you live with him."

Max started to glare at me. "Look, he's not my master, all right?"

I chuckled. "Hmph. Guess not - that's Cain's job, isn't it?"

At the name, Max's expression clouded over. "How do you know about him…?" he asked.

At the moment in time, I couldn't see the hints of fear, remorse, and irritation on his face, so I kept running my mouth.

"Doesn't matter. But what _does_ matter is your age. Max - you're only eighteen."

He clenched his teeth and his eyebrows scrunched, matching his balled fists.

I kept going. "When were you going to tell me about your curse?" I looked at him and asked, "Next year?"

"…"

He stayed silent and I grew more annoyed. I said both snarkily and impatiently, "Maybe the year after that-"

"…!"

Before I knew what was happening, I was already flat on my back on my bed, with Max trapping me in between his hand and forearm.

"I wasn't going to tell you."

After I stopped being paralyzed, I saw the pained, yet furious, expression on his face. He gloomed at me whilst he leaned in closer. " _ **Ever.**_ "

I could feel his wrist against the top of my head, as well as his left hand - which laid in between my arm and side. His knee was trapped by my legs, whilst his other rested next to my hip. I stared into his eyes, which were a darkened blue.

Scratching my memory, I remembered a time in the past when a kid at school knocked his books out of his hands in the hallway after his parents had passed. His eyes darkened immediately and the kid was shoved against the lockers in an instant. When I was breaking up the fight, his new, navy blue eyes were streaked with violet tints.

The same navy blue that stood before me now.

" _He's pissed…"_ I thought to myself. Unconsciously, I gulped hard and tried to think positively about the situation.

" _Max won't do anything,"_ I thought. "… _Would he…?"_

I'm not sure when it happened, but Max's shoulders were bigger than mine - _broader,_ I guess. He was a little twig ever since we were kids, so, when did he grow up?

"… _And why did I miss it…?"_

I heard a sigh come from above me and Max's body moved away from mine.

"Forget it," he huffed, getting up from the bed. Holding his forehead, he told me, "It's not like there aren't hotel awnings to sleep under." Max let out a little chuckle. "I mean, this is California we're talking about."

The image of Max sleeping outside, in Jump City, next to the hotel's flower pots, popped into my head - and I didn't like it. And to add to it, my pessimistic mind made it pour on Valen Avenue.

"Max," I started.

"It's fine," he said, lightly pushing my hand away. "You didn't cause any of this, Sara."

"…"

Giving one of his signature smirks, he called over his shoulder "See ya" as he started climbing out the window.

I bit my lip and sucked in my breath sharply. Simultaneously, a burst of wind pushed Max backwards, into my room again. He turned around and raised an eyebrow at me. "What?" he asked.

After fidgeting for a while, I asked, "Can you stay…?"

Since he gave me a skeptical look, I pushed it a little further. "Please…?"

He must've either read the concern, unease, or apprehension I was giving off, because the sigh which followed my question was a little more sincere.

"Fine," he said, giving up. "I'll stay."

Just before I could let out a relieved sigh and smile at him, he asked, stopping me short, "But why?" Shrugging as he walked towards me, he asked, "Why would you want me around…?"

After thinking, I decided to answer his question with one of my own.

"Well, why do _you_ want _me_ around…?" I asked.

Max was staring at me blankly, but I could tell I picked his brain about this; that he was taking it seriously.

After a moment passed, he told me, "Company…"

I slowly nodded and answered back, "Then, you're my company, too."

"Don't," Max warned, lowering his head.

Confused, I asked him, partly annoyed, "Don't _what?"_

"This," he motioned to me, "Being you."

I raised an eyebrow at him. " _Excuse_ you?" I started, "And just _what_ is so wrong with being me?"

Max scoffed, "Sara, you know about Cain." All he got as a reply from me was a blank, dumbfounded expression, so he sighed out of anger.

"You know what all of this means, don't you?" he asked. "I have to _sleep_ with someone in order to keep my powers. And you tiptoeing around the subject like I'm some damn _snowflake_ that you have to keep frozen is starting to piss me off!"

My face started wrinkling as he kept going.

"'Sarebbe nel vostro interesse se lei ti ama indietro'?" he said exaggeratedly. He huffed at me, clearly irritated I didn't speak his home language. He translated for me, "It'd be best if she loves you back."

My cheek twitched as I thought to myself, " _Back…?"_

While I was deep in my own thought, Max's annoyed/aggravated sigh brought me back to my senses. He had been walking towards me before I heard him so when I finally looked up at him-

"…!"

His hands were already trapping me in his grasp, with his lips pressed against mine - _hard._ It wasn't a sweet kiss which tingled as you were doing it, but a rough, aggressive kiss that I didn't think anyone liked.

By the time I processed what he was doing, my eyes were already wide as I felt a slimy unit enter my mouth by force.

As wide as they were, my eyes popped out of my head and I shoved Max's shoulder.

"Ow!" he yelped. Touching his lip, he looked at his hand afterwards and saw a red line of blood on his fingertip. "You bit me!" he accused.

"I had to!" I protested, "What were you going to do if I didn't?!"

"I don't know," Max started, "But I sure as hell wouldn't of _bit_ you!"

I shook my head and asked, "Why would you do that?"

Max looked up at me from what he was doing; licking his lip so it would stop bleeding.

"Because," he said, lowly, "If I hadn't, you wouldn't have got what I was trying to say."

I gave a dry chuckle and said, "Well, I still don't get it - so could you explain it using your words instead of acting it out?"

Max rose his eyebrows at me and thought to himself, " _I knew she was slow, but not_ this _slow…"_

I stared at him and asked, my arms folded a while ago, "Well?"

Snapping his attention back to me, Max waved his hand dismissively, shrugging it off. "Forget it, it's not important."

As he started heading to my window again, fragments of his previous words echoed in my head.

" _Do you honestly think I'd stay here by choice? I wouldn't be here if I had somewhere else to go."_

" _Forget it. It's not like there aren't awnings to sleep under."_

" _I have to_ sleep _with someone in order to keep my powers. You tiptoeing around the subject like I'm some damn_ snowflake _is starting to piss me off!"_

The last remark caught me and I clicked my tongue. "Tch!"

Apparently, I caught his attention, because he stopped short of climbing out of the window to look back at me. "What…?" he asked, a little curiously.

As if by instinct, my hand readied - and fired - a fireball at him, nailing him square on his spine. He quickly sucked in his breath and held his back, falling to the floor in my room. I walked towards him, angrily, and he looked up at me with his peach colored eyes - which could only have meant he was trying to cool his burning back.

"What'd you do that for!?" he asked, partially angry that I hit him and partially out of pure curiosity at my strange behavior.

His expression changed when he looked at my face and saw it had darkened over.

" _She's pissed…"_ he thought. "… _But, why?"_

I growled to him, "Snowflake or rabbit…?"

"What?" he asked, clearly confused at my wording.

I yelled at him, "Are you a snowflake or a fucking rabbit- because I can't tell the difference anymore!?"

Max shook his head at me and asked, out of shock, "What are you talking about-?"

"One minute you're some fragile scared kid I can't help but feel sorry for and the next you're attacking me like I'm the last donut in the box! So what are you - a snowflake or a rabbit!?

My eyes were filled with so much fury, I probably couldn't see that Max wasn't doing this out of spite, ill will, or curiously experimenting on his childhood friend.

I didn't even notice his voice shake as he said, quietly, whilst hanging his head, "Rabbit…"

At his response, I was boiling over and knew it wouldn't be long until I needed some form of release. I hung my head, disappointed at him, and growled, "Get out."

A knock echoed on my door just as the two of us were having an intense staring contest. Max lost when his gaze fell to the metallic frame.

From the other side, I could hear Cyborg's voice. "Sara?" he asked. "Are you ok? We could hear you yelling from the den."

Still glaring at Max, I tilted my head slightly and yelled back, "Yeah, I'm fine." Giving my full attention back to him, I said, "Just trying to take care of a pest."

Max avoided my stare and turned his head to the side, dropping his hurt gaze to the floor.

After hearing my explanation (lie), Cyborg answered back "Ok, I'll tell the others" and the sound of his footsteps faded down the hallway.

Taking the hint I didn't want him in my room any longer, Max got up from his spot on the floor and headed for my window. With my back turned to him, I told Max - who had his foot on the windowsill, "Don't come back here anymore."

I added something after my sentence, which in time I learned I would deeply regret.

" _Fusion Melt."_

Since Max's back was to me as he left, I couldn't see the pained expression on his face.

An expression _I_ caused.

* * *

 _Not once_ did he look back after he left, and _not once_ did he carelessly show up uninvited, asking me to crash in my room, again.


End file.
